As hard drive capacities continue to grow, the amount of data amassed by individuals and businesses is steadily increasing. In the past, media and data needed to be offloaded to external storage early on, but nowadays, computers and servers often store data for many years. To prevent the loss of documents, databases, photos, and other content due to hardware failures or cyber attacks, it’s crucial to perform regular backups. Consider using cloud backups, offline backups, or LAN backups to ensure your data is secure.
How backups protect your data
A backup is a security copy of your data, created to restore files if they are lost, damaged, or stolen. These backup copies are crucial for ensuring that your company or personal data is always protected. Backups can be created both offline and online.
What Backup Methods Are Available?
There are three main types of available backup targets and methods:
- Local offline backup
- Cloud backup
- Network backup (LAN backup)
But which backup method is best suited to your needs: cloud backup, offline backup or LAN backup, or a combination of these? We explain the pros and cons of these options and offer valuable tips for backing up your data.
Local offline backup: how to protect your data without the Internet
Offline backups are copies of data stored on external storage media such as hard drives and flash drives. This type of backup is often created manually and requires physical storage.
The primary advantage of offline backups is their superior data security, as they are not accessible online and can be stored in a powered-off state, disconnected from your systems. This makes them safe from cyber attacks. Additionally, you retain full control over your data and its storage location. Another benefit is that you can access your backup at any time without needing an internet connection.
However, there are also disadvantages. External storage media can deteriorate over time or be lost during a move, leading to permanent data loss. Additionally, regular manual updates and monitoring of these backups are required, which can be time-consuming. Moreover, the storage capacity is limited by the physical media used.
Offline backups are particularly suitable for organizations and individuals who need an additional level of security against cyber threats and do not want to constantly rely on an internet connection. They are ideal for scenarios where direct control and security of the data is a top priority.
Cloud backup: the modern solution for your data backup
Cloud backups, also known as online backups, copy your data to the cloud. The data is backed up over the Internet on servers operated by external service providers.
A key advantage of this method is that the backups are automatic, which eliminates manual intervention and keeps the data constantly up to date. In addition, online backups are highly scalable, as the available storage space in the cloud is almost unlimited. The backed up data can also be accessed from any location with Internet access, which significantly increases flexibility.
However, there are also some disadvantages. A reliable Internet connection is essential to back up and restore data. Security concerns can also arise, as data stored in the cloud is a potential target for cyber attacks. For data privacy protection reasons, the cloud provider must be chosen carefully. Companies may have to enter into a data processing agreement with the storage provider if they back up customer-related data. In addition, most cloud solutions charge fees for online storage space. However, by encrypting the backed up files, Syncovery can significantly reduce cloud related risks.
For companies and private individuals who prefer continuous and automatic backup solutions and regularly access their data, cloud backups offer a particularly convenient and flexible way of ensuring their data availability. Despite the potential security risks and costs, the advantages, such as easy access and efficient management of large amounts of data, often outweigh the disadvantages.
LAN Backup: Essential for Businesses and Private Networks
To create backups in-house, you may not even have to connect an external hard drive: you can simply back up to a second computer or a NAS system in the LAN. Many companies continuously mirror their data to a backup server, enabling rapid replacement of the main server in case of a failure. In addition, free storage space on NAS systems (or any other computer in the network) can be used for encrypted backups, from which the files can be quickly restored if necessary. If you have a second office or home, you can also back up there via the Internet or a VPN. Generally, these backups do not protect against ransomware as well as cloud and offline backups. Although precautions can be taken to make it harder for malware to access a NAS or backup server, attacks often affect the entire network. LAN backup should therefore not be the only backup method that you use.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud, Offline, and LAN Backups
| Offline and LAN Backup | Cloud Backup | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | depends on storage type | depends on Internet connection and cloud provider | |
| Speed | very high | generally slower | |
| Data Theft Protection | very high (no online threats) | depends on the cloud provider and the chosen encryption | |
| Control | complete | limited: functionality is defined by cloud provider API features and restrictions | |
| Accessibility | depends on the storage location | requires Internet access | |
| Storage space | limited by physical media | almost unlimited | |
| Automation | manual updates (if the medium is not permanently connected) | automatic updates | |
| Cost | one-off acquisition cost, possibly storage cost | ongoing fees | |
| Risk | physical loss or damage | Cyber attacks, privacy concerns |
Tips for Businesses
Businesses should consider a balanced combination of LAN, offline and cloud backups to effectively prevent data loss. Offline backups on external hard drives offer excellent protection against cyberattacks because the data is kept physically separate from the networks.
LAN and cloud backups, on the other hand, provide continuous, automatic backups, enabling quick data recovery. The use of specialized software such as Syncovery makes the process of managing the various backup methods much easier, as Syncovery supports flexible scheduling and synchronization by creating multiple profiles.
Tips for Private Individuals
For private individuals, your own organizational skills play a crucial role. If you trust your cloud storage provider and also use the encryption offered by Syncovery for sensitive data, we recommend convenient cloud backup. Automated processes save time and do not require additional reminders for regular backups.
However, if you have sensitive data that you do not want to back up over the Internet, even if encrypted, a physical data backup makes more sense – whether offline or on the network. If you use an external hard drive that you disconnect from the PC, this requires manual steps to update the backup, involving more effort. The choice of the right backup method therefore depends on individual needs and requirements.
Performing Cloud and Offline Backups With Syncovery
Back up your valuable data today! Use Syncovery and discover our powerful software for backups, synchronizations, copies and migrations. Benefit from the security, flexibility and user-friendliness that our tool offers you.
FAQ
What is the main difference between cloud backups, offline backups and LAN backups?
Cloud backups copy data online to the cloud, while offline backups store data on physical media such as hard drives or USB sticks. LAN backups copy the files over the network to another computer or network attached storage (NAS).
Are cloud backups safe?
Yes, cloud backups can be very safe if you choose at least two reliable cloud providers and use encryption. You should not rely on just one cloud backup. Although there have been very few cases of data loss with cloud providers in the past, it is not impossible.
How often should I create a backup?
The backup should be updated as often as possible. Syncovery only copies new and changed files, so the process doesn’t take long. After important changes to your data, the backup should be updated. This can be a daily or even hourly backup, for example. In addition, Syncovery offers real-time synchronization, which keeps the backup continuously up to date.
Can I use both cloud and offline and LAN backups?
Yes, the combination of both methods offers the best protection and ensures that your data is safe in different scenarios. Read our page on the 3-2-1 rule.
Which software is suitable for backups and synchronizations?
Syncovery is an excellent choice for managing backups, synchronizations, copies and migrations, both for companies and private individuals.